The Darkside of the Bronx

The beginning

"Fuck"
I said as I hit my head on the coffee table.
I fell asleep on the couch hours ago and rolled off. Getting up, I mutter profanities and get into the fridge, standing there I stare at a 2 week old half eaten deli sandwich and two beers.
I grab a cold one and shut the door. I open my beer and take a long swig.
"Ahh" I gasp and belch throwing my beer bottle at the pile of trash in the corner of the kitchen I haven't taken out yet. Turning around to the counter, I grab my cigarettes and light one up.
"Damn it" I huff to myself as I look at the empty pack in my hand, frowning, throwing the pack on the counter, I grab my leather jacket from the kitchen chair.

"Fuck" I yell as I'm putting on my jacket.

A cockroach falls out of my jacket and I squish it like the pest it is. I live in a shitty little studio apartment, in a shitty little neighborhood in the Bronx. If it isn't roaches, it's rats. My studio only contains a couch, coffee table, my bed and a stand by the door. I have some decorations here and there but nothing extravagant.
Let me tell you one thing I hate is this hellhole and I'm looking to get out as quickly as I can get cash. 250 a month is great but I need something better. Don't get me wrong, I like this shitshow town, I grew up here and I know my way around but the shit that goes down around here, i'm way past that and happy to have low rent.
Shaking my jacket as I walk out of the apartment door, a blast of cold hits me in the face from the cool night air. I hit the last puff of my cigarette and stomp on it with my black military boot.

I start walking toward the small convenience store two blocks up from my apartment.
Homeless and junkies are riddled in corners
of every street I pass. Waiting in the shadows for their next unsuspecting victim to mug or for their dealer to give them their next fix. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't dangerous for a woman to be walking by herself at night here in this part of town but I know the dangers, the people here know not to mess with Tally Renshaw.

A tassel of my dirty blonde hair pokes me in the eye as I stop to tie my boot. They're worn from the years of wear but they're my second favorite pair of boots. My first are thigh high and go great with my shorts.

I stand and walk up to the convenience store, I grab the door to be shoved back on my ass. Fuming, I look up at who is coming out as I pick myself off the ground, cursing under my breath, wiping the dirt off of my ripped up jeans. Three men laughing and drunk carrying the booze they just bought walk out away from me looking back as if they didn't just ram me with a door.

"Hey, you bastards need to pay attention. '' I yell as they're about ten feet away now.

"What'd you say Punta?" One of the three men stopped in their tracks and turned back to me. He was definitely 6 foot taller than my 5'7 self and had pants way too big showing his boxers, greasy black hair and a glaring expression on his face.

"You know what I said 'essay'! I replied snidely making finger motions, I was even more fumed that he called me the word that I absolutely despised. He looked at the two guys and walked toward me cursing in Spanish. His friends held him back yelling in Spanish.
I shake my head laughing and walk inside.

"Causing trouble again, Tally?"

"NEVER, NOT ME" I feign innocence with a smile on my face and walk to the cooler to grab a 6er of beer and a sandwich from the standing cooler.
"Yeah, okay. Whatever" he says as I put the 6er and sandwich on the counter.
"So Al, how's the parents?" I ask as I reach for the money in my jacket.
"Great, dad's in tomorrow. I have a date!"
"A date?" I smirk and gasp with a hand over my heart
Al and his dad, chander are always in the store and if they aren't it's his mom Ramana. She wasn't like Al or Chander, quiet and always stressed about something, muttering to herself about this or that. I've known Al since I was 9 after his dad had caught me trying to steal a sandwich, candy bar and some tuti frutis for me and my little brother, Trey. He gave me a chance instead of calling the police. The Makatis were like family now and I wouldn't have it any other way. Al and his dad both shared the same haircut, tousled black hair and always professional. They were both my height but Ramana was shorter and had the same black hair to her ankles that she wore in a braid most of the time. She could be considered a little person. She had always worn a jewel in the middle of her forehead or sometimes red paint. It beats me what that means but Al told me it's a part of their culture, same with all the other piercings his mom had.

"Yeah, believe it or not some girl likes this ugly mug enough. Hey when you gonna hook a guy?" He says grabbing three packs of reds and a wrapper throwing my shit in a bag.
"Heh, good one, but good luck bro" I throw the money on the counter, grabbing my shit laughing and turning to walk out the door. I reach into my bag and get out my pack of cigarettes, open them and stick one in my mouth to light up.
"Hey, you never know! Tally" Al says laughing

I flip him off and walk out and light up.

Men aren't my thing, they only cause trouble and trouble isn't something that I usually get myself into not since Chander helped me back when I was a kid. I tried to keep my nose clean, but trouble has ways of following me even if I don't want it to. Men are a different kind, after seeing my mom bring them home and they just leave or she'd have one for a week or two and they'd just up and leave her without explanation. My brother Trey was 6 and I was 9, my mom was a junkie and my dad who the hell knows about him. Fuck the bastard. He knows of me and Trey and he doesn't care. I never asked about him and my mom didn't mind it. Mom got cleaned up after her stints of prostitution and stripping.

I always fed Trey somehow on the days she didn't come home. It wasn't all unicorns and fairies but when mom cleaned up, she worked at the Makati's. We had food and she married a real-estate agent that she met buying a new house out of the Bronx. I was already eighteen and on my own in my shitty apartment. Been there for 2 years now.

"Hey" I hear as I look to the right of me
I stand against the wall and give a curious look in the direction it came from and step off the wall to stomp my cigarette out. Sitting the bag I was holding down on the ground.

"Yeah?" I say as I walk in the direction of the voice. Still not seeing the person it came from.
"Come here" I hear whispered beside the alley next to the convenience store.
"Fuck that" I laugh holding my stomach and walk back to the shit I left on the ground.
"No, listen, come here. Gotta tell you something" The voice says in the dark alley and I can't help my own stupid curiosity so I walk closer, but enough to still be visible in the window of Makati's.
"K, I think I'm close enough buddy. Why don't you show your face and come out here in the light" I say hiding my nerves.
He slightly comes closer to only showing half his face in the light. Ten seconds passed and we were still staring at each other. No words just staring.
"Okay bro, I'm getting bored now. Done with your game." I say walking backwards away from the creep in the alley.
One thing about survival on the streets is don't turn your back on anyone. You never know what the hell is coming or when.
I taught myself that when I was 14 when a girl at school jumped me because her best friend told her I had been making out with her boyfriend in the girls locker room. I was just a scapegoat and it was her best friend covering her ass. I had a broken nose and a headache for a week. That cunt was big and she hit me on my way home from school. After that I decided not to keep my head down and always stay alert. Don't get me wrong, I've always been the way I am. Everyone knows not to mess with me after the few fights I've been in. I left a bodyguard at the club downtown crying after he put his hands on me. Like I said, I don't like men.

"Where are you going?" The half dark figure whispers out as I'm almost backed to the door of the Makatis.
"Well, buddy I'm hungry and I need to stuff my face. I don't have time for your bullshit and I want to get this beer I bought in my gullet before it gets warm. That good for you?" I say looking at him quizzically while pointing at the bag that I left on the other side of the makati's door.
"Heh, I suppose so, but we will meet again, Tally." He says in a whisper as he backs back into the dark alley.
"How the fuck you know my name?" I yell out and burst into the alley but as I get there he's gone.

"Everything okay out here?" I turn around and Al is standing at the door.
"Yeah, just seeing things, I better get going" I say as I grab the bag from the ground. I grab a beer, chug it down, throw the bottle back in the bag and light a cigarette.

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Hey guys thanks for reading my book, I just need to know, is this chapter too short? I will be posting chapter 2&3 at the same time. So no worries!

Let me know in the comments. And if you have any questions let me know! 🫂 hugsxoxoxo
-Tess